


The Power of Language

by swinggal138



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Alternate Canon, Blood Drinking, Demons, Developing Relationship, F/M, Gen, Mild Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-09
Updated: 2013-12-08
Packaged: 2018-01-04 03:01:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 12,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1075750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swinggal138/pseuds/swinggal138
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a demon begins taking away the reading ability of most of Sunnydale, can the gang figure out how to solve it with the help of their new friend, Olivia? Meanwhile, Spike meets the woman who just might be able to get him past his feelings for the Slayer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Lainey Kennedy walked across the dark campus, heading towards the library; it was her night off and she was going to visit her best friend, Olivia, who she knew would be working late. Olivia Martin was one of the librarians for the college who was a skilled researcher, specializing in ancient texts; she was also well versed in many things supernatural due to her consistent interaction with it through Lainey, who was a bartender at a local demon bar known as Willy’s Place. The two girls had very different personalities. Olivia was studious and quiet, not a huge fan of the night life. Lainey, on the other hand, was an insomniac who worked late hours or went out partying and spent most of her days reading, sleeping, or helping Olivia with research. But despite these differences, they remained best friends.  
As Lainey was walking, she spotted a guy who appeared to be punching a tree while ranting to himself; he had platinum blonde hair, a leather jacket, and tight jeans. Lainey slowly approached him,  
“Excuse me, sir, are you okay?”  
“Bugger off!”  
Now, Lainey did not take kindly to being talked to in that manner and she let very few people get away with it.   
“Didn’t anyone teach you not to be rude to someone just trying to help?”  
Suddenly, the man turned to her, fire in his eyes as he looked her over like prey.  
“Didn’t anyone teach you it’s dangerous for little girls to go walking alone after dark?” he inquired, stalking towards her.  
Lainey crossed her arms over her chest, staring him down.  
“I doubt anything I encounter out here could scare me.”  
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure of that, pet,” the guy replied, morphing into what Lainey recognized as the form of a vampire; she just gave him a bored look. Dismayed, he morphed his face back,  
“Great. Now I can’t even scare petite co-eds.”  
“You think I’m petite?” she said, grinning.  
The man gave her an annoyed look before slumping down in the grass against a tree; Lainey sat down next to him,  
“Don’t take it personally. I just see much scarier stuff at work every day.”  
“Where do you work?” he asked incredulously.  
“Never you mind that. Now, since you have threatened me, I feel it is only fair I know your name.”  
“Spike,” he said, extending his hand.  
“Lainey,” she replied, “now, you have clearly had a bad day. I don’t live far from here and I wouldn’t mind company tonight. So, you should come over. I’ll make you a drink and you can vent about this girl.”  
“How do you know it’s about a girl?”  
“It’s always about a girl.”  
The two of them stood up and walked to her little apartment, about three blocks from the campus. She unlocked the door and went inside; turning around, she saw him standing awkwardly at the door.  
“Oh, right, sorry. You can come in.”  
Smiling, he stepped across the threshold, taking in her apartment.  
“So, you live here all alone then, love?”  
“Yeah. I’m not here very often so I don’t need much space. What would you like to drink?”  
“Whiskey, neat, if you got it,” he said, sitting on the couch.  
Lainey poured them each a glass of Jameson and joined him, handing him his drink. They sipped in silence for awhile before Lainey finally spoke up,  
“So, what’s her name?”  
“Buffy.”  
“The Slayer?”  
“You know her?!”  
“I’ve heard her name tossed around at work quite a bit; never met her though. And no, I’m not telling you where I work. So, what’s the problem?”  
“Well, I’m crazy about her; I’d do anything for her.”  
“And she doesn’t reciprocate?”  
“I used to think she did. But today she pretty much told me she’s just been using me for sex. Now, don’t get me wrong, she’s a great shag, but I want something more.”  
Spike paused, looking up from his whiskey.  
“You’re not going to laugh at me now are you?”  
“Not at all.”  
Spike then looked at her suspiciously.  
“Why not? Most people do. Call me nancy boy for wanting more than just the physical.”  
“Because I’ve been in your shoes. My ex-boyfriend did the same thing.”  
“At least you were in a relationship with him.”  
“Yeah, that made it so much easier when he left me.”  
“I’m sorry, pet. So what happened there?” Spike asked, taking another sip of his drink.   
“Well, he spent three years trying to get into my pants, finally succeeded, and then dumped me one month later. I was just the one foolish enough to call it a relationship. And the one foolish enough to continue letting him booty call me after we broke up. Thought maybe if I kept answering his drunken 2am calls, begging me to come get him, just maybe he would fall in love with me again. But eventually he decided I wasn’t even good enough for that.”  
“What a wanker! Can’t even bloody see the perfect thing in front of his eyes,” Spike said, gesturing to Lainey, “if you ask me, he sounds like a boy and what you need is a man, love.”  
Spike put his arm around Lainey’s shoulders, his fingers tracing up and down her arm; Lainey promptly stood and took her glass to the kitchen.  
“I didn’t invite you back here so we could hook up.”  
Spike got off the couch and joined her in the kitchen, putting his hands on either side of her on the counter.  
“What’s wrong with having a little fun?”  
Lainey turned around, her face only inches from his,  
“Because, when two people have that kind of fun, someone always ends up falling for the other one and getting hurt; and that someone is usually me.”  
She poured them each another drink then brushed past him to sit back down on the couch. He took his whiskey and joined her. The conversation drifted into other topics and Spike eventually had to leave, noticing that the sun was about to start rising.


	2. Chapter 2

A few nights later, Lainey and Olivia had gotten all dressed up and decided to go to the Bronze, a local club; usually, Olivia was not a fan of going out to places like that but it had been a long time since her and Lainey had a girls’ night out. They got their drinks and were standing at one of the tables as Lainey filled Olivia in on Spike.  
“And he says the Slayer is using him just for sex?”  
“Was using him...past tense. Apparently she decided she actually felt guilty and told him she wouldn’t do it anymore.”  
“Wow, that sounds exactly like you and Shane.”  
“I know. I told him about that too. He seems like a nice guy...well nice vampire...but just a bit lost right now.”  
“Huh...any chance you’ll see him again?”  
“Well, I am going to go with yes because that is him right over there,” Lainey said, indicating to Spike who had just walked into the club. He spotted them and wandered over after grabbing a drink at the bar,  
“Never pictured you in a place like this” he said to Lainey, “who’s the hot friend?”  
“Oh, Spike, this is Olivia. Olivia, this is Spike.”  
The two exchanged introductions and stood talking for awhile when suddenly Spike ducked his head, attempting to block his face with his hand,  
“Oh bloody hell, that’s her.”  
“Who? The Slayer?” Lainey asked.  
“Yeah.”  
“The little blonde one? She doesn’t look like much.”  
“Well she packs a mean punch. I should have figured she would be here. Think I’ll just finish my drink and be on my way.”  
“Nonsense,” Lainey said, quickly downing the remainder of her drink, “I have the perfect plan. Just follow my lead.”  
Spike also finished his drink and Lainey grabbed his hand, leading him to the dance floor.  
“Yeah, this isn’t going to work for me,” Spike said, turning to leave, “I don’t dance.”  
“Just...trust me...okay? If the Slayer sees you all over another woman, she will be jealous. You just have to make it look convincing, okay?”  
“Fine. We’ll try it your way, I guess,” he replied, placing his hands on her hips as she began to move against him.  
“She is glancing over here,” Lainey said, pressing her back into his chest even more, “make it look convincing.”  
Spike wrapped one of his arms fully around her waist as he held her closer, grinding against her, while his other hand reached up and pulled her hair out of the way, burying his face in her neck. They continued dancing like that for awhile when Lainey finally turned around to face him. She draped one arm around his neck while the other went to his waist to pull him closer. A slow smile crossed his face as his arm went around her waist and the other hand tangled in her hair,  
“You know, you’re pretty good at this, pet. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to seduce me.”  
Lainey just gave him an annoyed look before glancing back at the Slayer,  
“Okay, she’s blatantly staring right now. Kiss me.”  
“What?”  
“Kiss me!” she said, but Spike hesitated, “Oh for heaven’s sake...”  
Lainey wrapped her hand behind Spike’s head, bringing his lips down to hers. She moved her mouth against his and soon Spike, after processing exactly what was happening, began kissing her back, his hand gripping her hair as he pulled her even tighter against him. The kiss lasted only seconds but to Spike it felt like ages, all his nerves tingling as Lainey’s lips locked with his, her tongue just briefly slipping out to touch his. She finally broke away, shooting another glance over to the blonde,  
“I think that worked; she does not look too happy. She should be running back to your waiting arms any day now. Anyway, I think Olivia and I should probably get going.”   
She separated from him, heading back to the table where Olivia was waiting. Spike followed closely behind her, trying to figure out something to say. The girls gathered up their things and began heading towards the door,  
“Well, hope things work out with your girl,” Lainey said over her shoulder, “Also, you are a great kisser; thought you should know.”  
She flashed him a smile and vanished outside with her friend, leaving Spike to ponder exactly what had just happened in his life.


	3. Chapter 3

About a week later, Spike wandered into Willy’s Place; it had been a rough few days with even more confrontations with the Slayer. Despite Lainey’s confidence that her plan of making Buffy jealous would work, nothing had changed. Well, one thing had changed technically; Spike couldn’t stop thinking about his kiss with Lainey and it was driving him crazy. Deciding to put both women out of his head, he had gone to have a few drinks, and by a few, he really intended on getting completely pissed.   
Sitting down at the bar, he called to the bartender, who had her back to him; she turned and Spike nearly fell off his stool as he found himself staring at Lainey.   
“Well,” she said, “guess you figured out where I worked after all.”  
Recovering from his surprise, he greeted her with a smile,  
“Guess that does explain why you weren’t scared of the Big Bad the first night you met me.”  
“Like I said, you are the least scary thing I see compared to what comes in here.”  
Spike looked a bit hurt, his face contorting into a small pout,  
“Well, I wouldn’t say least scary. I’m a little scary.”  
“You might be if you didn’t have that chip in your head.”  
“How do you know about my chip?”  
“Word gets around.”  
“Great. Glad to know I have a new reputation. So, you going to get me a drink or what?”  
Lainey shook her head, turning around to pour him a double whiskey and sliding it down the bar to him. He grabbed it and downed it in one gulp, holding the glass for her to fill again. She filled it again, giving him a bit more this time, and leaving the bottle on the counter.  
“So, judging by the way you are consuming this whiskey, I take it the jealousy plan didn’t quite work out?”  
“You could say that. She just called me childish...among other things.”  
“I’m sorry to hear that. But, if I can be honest, you really deserve better than her. No one deserves to be used that way.”  
“I don’t know about that. I’ve done some pretty bad stuff in my life; maybe I just had this coming to me,” he replied, downing yet another glass of whiskey.  
Lainey approached him, looking him in the eyes and getting serious,  
“Listen, I don’t care what you’ve done in your past; no one deserves to be used. I hear people trying to justify being treated badly all the time and it just isn’t true. No one deserves to be treated like dirt by someone they love. It just isn’t right.”  
Spike locked eyes with her for a moment, trying to ignore the way her look was making him feel. She finally stood back up, turning to make another drink for a demon who had just sat down at the bar,  
“But, I guess that is just my personal opinion. Take it or leave it.”  
She made a few more drinks before coming back to Spike, who was easily on his fifth whiskey at that point. They continued talking for awhile; Lainey told him all about Olivia and her work at the library. Spike told her about his involvement in the Scooby gang and how he got to Sunnydale in the first place. Eventually, the bar was closing down and Spike was incredibly drunk. Lainey locked everything up and turned out the lights as he stumbled off his barstool, making his way for the door; however, he ran into it instead of going through it.   
“Okay, you are not walking home by yourself tonight,” Lainey said, going over to him.  
“I am perfectly capable to taking care of myself; I don’t need a bloody babysitter.”  
“Right...that’s why you just attempted to walk through the wall. Totally intentional, I’m sure. No arguments. I am walking home with you because I don’t need you passing out in the grass somewhere and becoming a pile of ash by morning.”   
Seeing that she would not budge on this, Spike conceded and they headed in the direction of the cemetery, his arm around her shoulders as she kept him upright. They finally reached the door of his crypt and Lainey removed his arm from her shoulders. With his inhibitions completely gone, Spike suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her to him, bringing his lips down on hers and kissing her hungrily. She returned the kiss for a moment before realizing what was happening and pushed him away.  
“Spike, no.”  
“What’s the problem, pet? You said I was a good kisser.”  
“Yes. You are...but...I told you I don’t go for that kind of fun. I’m sorry. Besides you are drunk and in no place to make good decisions.”  
“That is kind of the point; I was hoping to make some very bad decisions...with you. But I get it; no one wants old Spike. He’s just the repulsive demon living in the graveyard; not even good enough for a shag.”  
“That’s not it and you know it. Listen, I have been hurt in the past by this very same thing. In situations like this, there is no such thing as completely non-committal; someone is always more invested than the other. And since you are in love with another girl, I am the clear option for that one. And I am NOT going through that again.”   
Spike just looked at her for a moment, wanting to tell her that he would never hurt her, but he was drunk and she was right; Buffy was still on his mind.   
“Fine,” he said, turning to go inside, “I understand. Thanks for walking me home.”  
He walked in the door and Lainey turned to leave, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach left over from the kiss and the tears threatening to spill from her eyes as she realized she would probably get hurt anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

That same night, the rest of the Scooby gang was sleeping soundly in their beds; none of them noticed the shadow with glowing green eyes that slipped into their rooms, touching their eyes and then vanishing without a sound.  
The next morning, nothing seemed amiss with the group; everyone was going about their day as usual. That evening, everyone was gathered at the magic shop, including Spike, who was bored and just looking to bother people. Buffy opened one of the books, doing some research on a demon she had heard was causing some trouble lately, but she couldn’t read the words on the page,  
“Hey guys, what language is this book in?”  
“English,” Giles said, “why do you ask?”  
“Because I can’t read it, at all. I can tell there are words on the page but I can’t read them.”  
“That doesn’t make any sense. Here, let me look.”  
He took the book from her, skimming over the page as a look of concern spread on his face,  
“I can’t read it either. I can see letters and words but nothing is making sense. I physically cannot read it.”  
Meanwhile, Dawn had opened her schoolbooks to work on her homework, when she began panicking,  
“Guys, I can’t read this either. At all.”  
Both the schoolbook and the ancient text were passed around the group and everyone found that they couldn’t read it either. It wasn’t like it looked like a blank page; on all accounts it looked completely normal but for some reason, no one could read what was on the page.  
“Guys something is going on here. Did anyone notice anything unusual happen last night or today?” Buffy asked; no one had, “Okay, then Anya, I want you and Dawn to go into town, see if anyone has had similar issues or noticed anything weird. Giles and I will keep researching to see if this is just one book or if this applies to all books.”  
Anya and Dawn headed out while the rest of the gang started picking through books, seeing if anything changed or if anyone could make sense of anything. It didn’t take long to conclude that no one in the gang could read anything.  
“How are we supposed to research this demon or whatever it is that is causing this without being able to read?” Buffy asked, frustrated; in the corner, Spike cleared his throat loudly, “Spike, do you have something to say?”  
“Nothing important really. Just that I might know someone who can help with your little problem.”  
“And are you doing to tell us or just sit there and gloat?”  
“Well, I might tell if you asked nicely.”  
“Spike!”  
“Fine. Her name is Olivia and she works at the library on campus. According to Lainey, her specialty is researching ancient texts and she is quite knowledgable on many things supernatural.”  
“Who is Lainey?” Xander asked.  
“Just this girl I met. You probably saw her at the Bronze that night.”  
“That slut you were sucking face with on the dance floor?” Buffy asked.  
“Hey! She’s not a slut; she happens to be a great person who enjoys my company. Anyway, Olivia is her best friend and she might just be able to help you out.”  
“She could help with the research part of things,” Giles said, “And it will help that she is familiar with ancient texts.”  
“As long as this thing hasn’t gotten to her yet.”  
“True,” Giles replied, “I say we head over to campus and see if she would be willing to help. Spike, you will join us and make introductions.”  
Hoping that he might get to see Lainey, Spike agreed and the group headed over to campus.


	5. Chapter 5

The Scooby gang headed over to the campus, Spike tagging along. They entered the vast library which was strangely devoid of people,  
“Perhaps this epidemic has spread farther than we realized,” Giles postulated.  
“Or maybe it’s just a Friday night and people are out, you know, having lives,” Xander replied.  
“Oh, yes. I hadn’t considered that aspect.”  
The group gazed around the room, looking for any sign of life.  
“So, Spike,” Buffy spoke up, “where’s this librarian of yours?”  
“Well she’s not my librarian. I just know her through...”  
“Just...where is she?”  
“Oh, right over there.”  
The group looked in the direction he was pointing, finally spotting a girl sitting at a desk, bent over a book that she appeared to be studying intently. She had short brown hair, a white blouse, and a black pencil skirt.  
“At least she doesn’t appear to be affected” Buffy said.  
“Or...she’s a demon and is lulling us into a false sense of security.”  
Everyone just gave Xander an exasperated look.  
“Or she’s affected.”  
“Olivia!” Spike shouted, causing her to jump; she gave him a confused look, “Spike, remember? We met at the Bronze?”  
“Oh right, Lainey’s friend.”  
“Precisely. Anyway, I would like you to meet the Scoobies; they have a job for you.”  
The group all introduced themselves, shaking hands, the smile on Olivia’s face growing indiscriminately when she met Giles.  
“So, I’ve done my part makin’ introductions and what not. Now, Olivia, is Lainey working tonight?”  
“Um, yeah, she is.”  
“Great. Suddenly, I feel like a drink.”  
And with that, Spike exited the library, leaving the rest of the gang to explain the problem. After awhile, Olivia spoke up,  
“So, let me get this straight,” she said, grabbing some paper to take notes before having a sip of her tea, “you guys can’t read anything. You can see the words but not comprehend them?”  
“Precisely,” Buffy said.”  
“And you think this is the work of some kind of demon?”  
“Yes. We just have no idea what kind or how to stop it. And with our reading eyes out of commission, research is a bit difficult.”  
“Anything you might have come across before?” Giles inquired.  
“Nothing I can remember although my best estimation would be a demon perhaps originating around the time that things were transitioning more into the written word.”   
She took another sip of her tea before realizing everyone was staring at her.  
“What?” she asked.  
“She’s like a mini, female Giles,” Willow said, smiling; Giles looked over at her.  
“Why do you say that like it’s an insult?”  
“Um...we can start with what resources I have here,” Olivia said, deciding to ignore the odd comment as she stepped out from behind the desk and going into a back room. She returned momentarily with two very ancient books.  
“These are about all I have that I think might have some information.”   
Giles walked over, picking up one of the leather-bound tomes, examining the outside,  
“Where did you get these?” he asked with a combination of jealousy and admiration.   
“I have my sources,” Olivia replied cryptically, a small grin on her face.  
Giles looked at her and the two exchanged a quick glance before Olivia opened one of the books and the group got to work.


	6. Chapter 6

Meanwhile, Spike made his way over to Willy’s Place; he entered and spied Lainey right away. She was bent over the bar, chatting with some demon with green skin and horns, and Spike took a moment to appreciate the ample cleavage being displayed by her tight red shirt. Finally glancing up, she spotted him, giving him a look of recognition and a small smile before turning to make another drink. He approached the bar and sat down,  
“Is that the only greeting I get?” he asked, once she turned around again.  
“What more were you expecting?” she replied, raising an eyebrow at him, “me to jump on you and stick my tongue down your throat?”  
“Not quite what I had in mind but,” Spike smiled, his eyes running down her body as he admired the black mini-skirt she wore, “if that’s what your instincts are telling you, I say go for it.”  
“Why are you here, Spike? If it’s for free drinks, I’m not going to give you any.”  
“I just came here to visit you, pet, but if my presence bothers you that much, I can just go elsewhere.”  
Spike stood to leave but Lainey stopped him,  
“No, Spike, stay. I’m sorry. I’ve just not had the greatest night. You would think demons would be my problem customers but no, no, it’s just your regular, run-of-the-mill humans. So rude and demanding.”  
“Don’t pay them any mind, love! All just a bunch of wankers anyway.”  
Lainey smiled at him causing him to smile too; she turned around and poured him some whiskey. The bar was fairly empty at this point so she poured herself a drink as well and leaned across the bar to chat with Spike; she told him about her interesting customers of the night and he filled her in on what was going on with the Scooby gang.

. . .

Back at the library, everyone was getting tired and frustrated; they hadn’t learned anything useful.  
“Maybe we should call it a night,” Buffy said.  
The gang agreed and they started packing up, agreeing to meet the next day at The Magic Box. As they were leaving, Giles spoke up,  
“You know, it occurs to me, we should probably have someone staying with Olivia to make certain whatever this demon is doesn’t get to her as well.”  
“I can stay with her,” Xander volunteered, “been looking for an excuse not to be at my place anyway.”  
“And I can put some demon-y detection spell around her place to alert them if anything spooky is approaching,” Willow added.  
Everyone agreed this was a good idea and Olivia drove Xander to her place, Willow following close behind with her magic materials. Once inside, Willow set to placing the spell while Olivia got some things for Xander.  
“I can grab some more of my clothes and such tomorrow but I should be good tonight,” he said as she set up a pillow and blankets for him on the couch; Willow then appeared from the bedroom.  
“Okay, I put detection spells in every room in the place; nothing is getting in here without you guys knowing.”  
“Thank you,” Olivia said, “and I will do my best to help you find what is doing this; losing your ability to read is the worst thing I can imagine.”  
Willow agreed and then headed out the door, leaving just Xander and Olivia.  
“You don’t mind if I sleep in just my underwear, do you?” Xander asked, “Just wouldn’t want to offend the woman I am meant to be protecting.”  
“No, that’s fine. Also, help yourself to anything you find in the kitchen. I mean, I don’t have much but you are welcome to it.”  
“Thanks.”  
“Well, I am exhausted and headed off to bed. Um, come get me in the morning if I oversleep so we can head to the magic shop or whatever.”  
“Will do. Goodnight.”  
“Goodnight.”  
Olivia then headed to her room, leaving Xander to get settled on the couch; it was nice to have someone staying with her for once.


	7. Chapter 7

Over the next week, the gang kept researching, trying to find as much as they could about the demon using Olivia’s help; she had taken a few days off work to devote herself fully to the project. However, after searching many books, she had found very little; there were a couple references to it but no hint of what its motivation was or how to defeat it. Lainey was also helping as much as she could, spending time at The Magic Box during the day when she wasn’t working. However, she turned out not being a ton of help since she usually ended up in discussions with Spike, wandering off to a corner with him, away from the group; he seemed to dote on her, a fact that did not go unnoticed by either Buffy or Olivia.  
The following Friday, Buffy decided everyone needed a break and they all decided to head to the Bronze, everyone except Lainey, who was working, and Giles, who was not really into the going out to a club idea.. Once they got there, the group split up to grab drinks and hit the dance floor. Xander, Willow, and Olivia ordered drinks and sat chatting on one of the couches; Buffy quickly got distracted by her ex-boyfriend Angel and they vanished off into a corner for what looked like a heated discussion.  
“What is their deal?” Olivia asked.   
“Oh, that’s Angel,” Willow said, “he’s a vampire but he has a soul. He and Buffy dated for awhile but it kind of ended in a near-apocalypse. Now, they just dance around the idea of a relationship and try to make each other jealous.”  
“Seems pointless.”  
“Oh, it is. But, Buffy doesn’t exactly listen when it comes to relationship advice,” Xander chimed in.  
Olivia just shrugged and went back to her drink. After awhile, she noticed Lainey come in and went over to greet her.  
“Hey, you get off work early?”  
“Yeah, it was surprisingly dead tonight. Is Spike here?”  
“Yeah, somewhere. Xander and Willow are over on the couch. Want to join us for a drink?”  
“Xander huh? So, what’s going on with that?”  
“What do you mean?”  
“Come on. Attractive guy...staying in your apartment...don’t tell me you haven’t even cuddled with him or kissed him or something.”  
“I haven’t.”  
“Well why not? I mean, he’s single and you’ve not had a proper date in...how long? Opportunity doesn’t knock like this very often.”  
“Maybe...”  
“Listen, I know you have had your eye on Giles; I get that. But until he actually makes a move, why not enjoy what is in front of you? Who knows...Xander may surprise you.”  
“True. He is incredibly sweet to me; I’ll think about it.”  
“That’s all I’m saying. Now, I need a strong drink and maybe a dance or two with our favorite blonde vamp.”  
Lainey and Olivia made their way over to the couch to join Willow and Xander again. After conversing for awhile, Lainey went off to find Spike and dragged him onto the dance floor; although dancing was not his thing, he couldn’t rightly complain about the chance to be so close to Lainey, to put his hands on her, enjoy her presence. They danced several songs in a row before Lainey decided she needed another drink. She had just ordered when a guy with black hair and dark eyes approached her; he wore a black shirt and black dress pants.  
“Hey, I’m Angel,” he said, addressing Lainey, “can I ask you a really odd question?”  
“Uh...sure?”  
“Can you pretend to be flirting with me right now? I’m kind of trying to make that girl over there jealous. She’s my ex-girlfriend and recently rejected me” he asked, gesturing towards Buffy.  
“Her? Again? What is it about this girl that makes men want to make her jealous?”  
“You’ve had this issue before? With who?”  
“Never mind that. And also, if you want to make her jealous, I guarantee me pretending to flirt with you would not do the trick.”  
“Well, what do you suggest?”  
“You need something bigger, something physical.”  
“Umm...I’m not sure I understand.”  
“Make out with me; just for a bit, enough for her to notice.”  
“Why?”  
“Because, knowing what I know about her, if she recently rejected you, chances are she just thinks you will always be around for whenever she wants you again; you need to show her she could lose you.”   
“Okay, I’m not even going to ask how you know her...but...you really think that would work?”  
“I know it will, especially because she keeps checking on you out of the corner of her eye. Now, just kiss me.”  
Angel slid one hand around her waist to pull her close while the other threaded in her hair and he brought his lips down to hers, kissing her intensely. Lainey’s hands slid slowly up his chest, feeling his muscles through his shirt, before locking behind his neck to hold him closer to her as they continued making out, tongues beginning to slide over one another as they both got more into the deception of it. After several moments, Lainey pulled away from him, glancing over to see Buffy had turned away; but her body language indicated she was practically seething.   
“See, she is crazy jealous right now.”  
Angel glanced over, seeing she was right.  
“Thank you,” he said, “What’s your name again?”  
“Lainey.”  
“Thank you Lainey,” he said, giving her one more incredibly passionate kiss before walking back towards Buffy, passing her by with a smug look on his face. Lainey smiled to herself and shook her head, turning back to sip on her drink, when Spike came up to her,  
“Did I just witness you making out with Captain Forehead over here?”  
“What? Oh yeah, that...he just wanted to make Buffy jealous; I seriously do not understand what is so damn special about her.”  
“He just wanted to make her jealous? So you just bloody spoke up as an eager volunteer, did you?”  
“Spike, what are you so upset about?”  
“I thought you were different, you know that. But you’re not. We’re all just interchangeable to you aren’t we? Kissing me one day and him the next. Thought we might have had something going, pet. But no, you just use people, like Buffy and your ex. Maybe you two deserved each other.”  
Lainey couldn’t even help the tears that sprang to her eyes,  
“Spike, that’s not fair. I...”  
“Save it,” he said, slamming the rest of the drink he was holding and setting the glass down on the bar, “I’m getting out of here.”  
He brushed past Lainey, heading for the front door, leaving her standing there, tears beginning to roll down her face as she tried to process exactly what had just happened...and why it mattered so much to her what Spike thought.


	8. Chapter 8

A little while later, Xander and Olivia decided to head back to her place. Lainey had vanished somewhere, presumably with Spike, and Willow had decided to take Buffy home, who was upset about something with Angel. They got back home and immediately collapsed on the couch together, both incredibly tipsy from the amount of drinks they had that night.  
“You know,” Xander began, “it feels really good to just get out and have fun. Takes your mind off things.”  
“What kind of things?” Olivia asked, leaning into his side, the alcohol making her a bit more affectionate than usual.  
“Well, you know, the demon issue, work, relationships.”  
“Relationships? I thought you were single.”  
“I am. But, really just recently so; my fiancé and I had some...issues...so to speak.”  
“I’m sorry.”  
“Ah...it’s okay; my fault really since I left her at the altar. I’m just not a relationship person really. In high school, I was always the friend and never the boyfriend. Just not the kind of guy girls usually go for. I mean, even my fiancé was a demon so...”  
“I don’t see why girls wouldn’t go for you. You’re a great guy; sweet, smart, attractive.”  
“You think I’m attractive?”  
“Of course. I mean, I’d make out with you.”  
“You would?”  
“Yeah.”  
Xander thought for a moment before slipping his arm around Olivia’s shoulders and looking down at her,  
“You want to?”  
Olivia took a second to consider, remembering what Lainey had said earlier,  
“Sure.”  
Xander raised her chin a bit before bringing his mouth down to hers, kissing her eagerly. Her hands slid up his chest, playing in his hair as their kissing intensified. Slowly, he lowered her down on the couch, laying half on top of her as his hands began running up and down her sides, their tongues exploring. Finally coming up for air, Olivia asked,  
“Hey, you want to take this into my room? It would probably be more comfortable than the couch.”  
“Definitely.”   
The two of them stood up, Xander instantly bringing his mouth back to hers as they began to walk towards the bedroom. Turning the lights out, Olivia rolled back the covers and brought Xander down with her onto the bed, her tongue slipping past his lips once again as he sighed into her mouth; their making out continued long into the night.  
The next morning, there was a knock on Olivia’s door; Xander slowly rolled out her bed, slipping on his boxers and opening the front door. On the other side stood Giles, now looking incredibly perplexed and uncomfortable as he looked at Xander in his underwear.  
“Uh, Xander, I was just...I mean...Xander, where exactly are your trousers?”  
“Oh, sorry, they’re in the bedroom.”  
“The bedroom? And where exactly is Olivia?”  
“Still asleep. You want me to go get her?”  
“No, no, that won’t be necessary. Xander, might I have a word?”  
“Sure,” he said, stepping aside so Giles could enter the apartment, “you want coffee or anything?”  
“No...thank you...Xander, when we agreed on you staying here to watch over Olivia, the intent was not for you to have...relations...with her.”  
“Relations? Oh you mean...no...we didn’t...we just made out a lot...with our clothes off.”  
“Well, be that as it may, I think it best if you no longer guard her. I will stay here in your place.”  
“Okay, I guess that works. I mean, my landlord was beginning to wonder why I haven’t been around anyway.”  
At that moment, Olivia emerged from the bedroom, wearing only her bra and knickers,  
“Xander, um, did I hear...oh!” she exclaimed, unaware that Giles was there and turning bright red, “I..uh...didn’t know Giles was here. I’ll just...yeah..”  
She vanished back into the room while Giles attempted to regain his composure a bit,  
“Anyway, I’ll leave you two for now. I just wanted to stop by and let you know there has been a new outbreak of cases; half of campus has shut down due to people not being able to read or study.”  
Olivia emerged from her room again, a robe tied around her. Giles nodded towards her, not entirely sure what to say yet, and headed for the door,  
“I will see both of you at The Magic Box in two hours? Dressed I hope?”  
Xander and Olivia nodded awkwardly as Giles closed the door behind him; inside, Olivia was kicking herself for possibly ruining things with the guy she liked.


	9. Chapter 9

A few nights later, Spike made his way over to Willy’s Place again; he was feeling a bit guilty about what he said to Lainey at the Bronze and was hoping to at least apologize. When he got there, he found the bar deserted and Lainey sitting at a table by herself, half-empty bottle of whiskey next to her; he watched as she poured herself another shot and quickly downed it. He wandered in, approaching her quietly,  
“We’re closed,” she said.  
“It’s only ten, love.”  
“Yeah, well I made the executive decision to shut down early. So leave.”  
“Fine,” Spike said, making his way back towards the door, “You know, I did come here to apologize but if you want to sit all broody and gloomy in the dark, drinking by yourself, be my guest.”  
“If that’s what I want to do, it’s my own business,” she replied and Spike heard the hitch in her voice; unable to ignore it, he turned back around.  
“Are you crying?” he asked, joining her at the table.  
“No.”  
“You’re a bloody horrible liar, you know that?”  
“Fine. So I’m crying. Why should you care?”  
Spike reached over, turning her face towards him and seeing the tears coursing down her face,  
“What happened, love?”  
“Nothing.”  
“Please tell me.”  
“Fine...after you said those things to me at The Bronze, I felt horrible about myself and ended up getting a bit drunk. This, of course, led to me calling my ex; I didn’t hold much hope of him actually answering but he did. And he came over and we hooked up...again.”  
She poured herself another shot, throwing it back before continuing,  
“And while that was bad enough, he actually called me the next day. Told me that me calling him couldn’t happen again and that I couldn’t run to him any time I was desperate for a screw. He then proceeded to tell me how he felt our whole relationship, if you can call it that, had been one big mistake and how I should never talk to him again because I only cause him trouble; that I was a nuisance in his life.”  
Scooting his chair closer to hers, Spike placed a hand on the side of her face, his thumb catching a new tear that fell.  
“Oh pet, he is a bloody idiot. And honestly, there are no words for the horrible things I would do to him right now if I could...hurting a woman like you.”  
Lainey pulled her face away from his hand, taking yet another shot.  
“But he’s right...in a way. And you were right too; I do use people. I won’t let people close but I don’t seem to mind if they need me for something like making another person jealous; makes me feel a bit desirable at least. And, I mean, I always knew that he never actually loved me...but...this whole time I have been blaming him. But now I’m starting to realize it was probably my fault.”  
“It wasn’t your fault at all, sweetheart; I was wrong. I was wrong to say those things, wrong to take my jealously out on you. Listen,” Spike said, turning her to face him again, “what happened with him is not your fault. You didn’t ask for him to cheat on you, to use you. All you did was love him; your love was just misdirected is all. You need a man who can see the wonderful woman you are.”  
Spike scooted his chair even closer, the hand not on her face moving to her neck,  
“Listen, pet, the right man, like me for instance, will love you for what’s in here” he said, touching her head, “and here,” he said, placing his hand briefly on her heart, “as well as appreciate everything you have to offer here,” he finished, the hand on her neck moving down her side and sliding beneath her skirt while the one on her face slid down to her neck, pulling her close to him. With a quick glance at the other’s lips, the two of them leaned in at the same moment, lips meeting as they sighed into each other’s mouths. Spike continued kissing her as one of her hands slid into his hair, holding him closer. However, she soon realized what she was doing and broke the kiss. Standing up, she grabbed the whiskey, taking yet another shot before setting it down on the bar.  
“Spike, you have no idea how much I want to do this right now; you are being so sweet to me and I appreciate all you are saying. But...the fact is...I like you, which means that I cannot be doing things like this with you. I know you are in love with Buffy and I will not be the second choice, not again; my heart can’t go through it another time.”  
Spike stood up too, joining her at the bar as he wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing her against his body. Gazing down at her, he ran his fingers through her hair,  
“Oh pet, you are not second choice, not by a long shot. Yes, I did use to love Buffy. But then I met you and you kind of rocked my world. I won’t call it love yet but I do know...that if Buffy were standing right here...and telling me I had to choose between her and you...the choice would be you.”  
“Really?”  
“Really.”  
Lainey smiled at him before reaching her hand up, placing it behind his neck and pulling his lips to hers as she began kissing him fiercely, her mouth ravishing his; he backed her into the bar as their tongues began exploring. Grabbing his hips, she pulled Spike against her, her mouth moving to his neck and up to his ear. As she ran her teeth over his earlobe, Spike let out a hiss, his hand quickly slipping up her shirt to caress her chest. Suddenly, Lainey grasped the edge of the bar and hopped onto it, giving Spike a come-hither look,   
“You sure about this pet?” he asked, still a bit uncertain.  
She wrapped her legs around his middle, pulling him into her as his hands came to rest behind her on the bar,  
“Never been more sure of anything in my life,” she said, kissing him passionately again.  
Spike hopped up to join her, laying her down on the bar, removing her shirt in the process. His hands moved over her stomach to her chest while his mouth made its way to her neck, kissing and lightly biting his way up to her ear; he took it into his mouth, enjoying the sounds she made as he played with her earlobe in his teeth before biting down hard, causing her to gasp and quickly remove his shirt. In a manner of moments, he had removed her bra as well and his mouth trailed kisses over her skin while his hand made its way beneath her leather skirt once again, teasing her through the fabric of her knickers. Her breathing heavy, she looked at him,  
“Please...Spike...”  
“As you wish, love,” he said, a wicked smirk on his face; he quickly removed his leather pants and hiked her skirt up, pushing aside anymore fabric that stood in his way.   
Hours later, they collapsed exhausted on the bar, the rest of their clothes having been lost somewhere along the way. Unable to move quite yet, Lainey settled into Spike’s bare chest, his fingers trailing up and down her arm as she traced circles on his stomach with her nails,  
“Spike,” she asked, “why me?”  
“Because you get me; you see me for who I am and not who you want me to be. And I appreciate that.”  
He leaned down, placing a kiss into Lainey’s hair as they both drifted off to sleep for a few hours, waking just before sunrise, leaving Lainey to clean up the bar while Spike made his way back home; they both wore huge smiles on their faces.


	10. Chapter 10

The next night, Lainey made her way over to Spike’s crypt after getting off her early shift at the bar; she knocked on the front door, waiting for him to answer. He finally opened the door, pulling her quickly inside and crashing his lips down on hers, his hands moving to yank on her hair. After a few moments, she finally broke the kiss,  
“Spike...Spike please...” she implored, as his mouth moved to her neck, “I just came here to tell you that we are wanted at The Magic Box.”  
“So?” he asked against her neck, his mouth still sucking and nipping at her skin, “Was it an emergency?”  
“No, I don’t think so..” Lainey replied, her answer cut short as she gasped when Spike bit down hard on her collarbone, “They just wanted to do more research.”  
“Well, then we have time.”  
“Right now?”  
“Yes right now. I can be fast, pet, and it will still be your best shag ever.”  
“I don’t know. I mean, I want to but...” but she couldn’t finish her reply as Spike took her ear in his mouth, playing with it as he began moving them towards the opening in the ground leading down to where his bedroom was, “okay...now is good.”  
With that, Lainey ripped off his shirt as he backed her towards the ladder; he gave her a soft shove, causing her to tumble backwards and into the opening, letting out a squeak of surprise as she suddenly landed in his arms,  
“See, told you I’m fast.”  
Lainey smacked him on the chest as he turned her, allowing her to wrap her legs around his hips,  
“You are so going to pay for that,” she said.  
“God, I hope so,” Spike growled, ripping her shirt off and carrying her towards the bed, his mouth already ravishing hers as they quickly removed the rest of their clothing. A few moments later, Spike collapsed on top of Lainey, sweaty and breathing hard.  
“You are truly incredible, love,” he said, kissing her gently.  
“I could say the same thing about you, doll,” she replied, returning the kiss and running her fingers through his hair, “and I will admit...you were not wrong.”  
He gave her a wicked smile before finally pulling himself off her. They got dressed and headed over to The Magic Box, where they found the rest of the group waiting.  
“Where have you two been?” Buffy asked, answering her own question as she took in their still-ruffled appearance, “Oh.”  
Olivia shot a look at her best friend, her eyes asking if Spike and her were actually together now; Lainey answered with a slight nod and a smile. Turning back to her research, Olivia began to expound upon what she had found,  
“So, I did actually find some references to this kind of incident occurring before. Right around the time I said, there are several accounts of priests being unable to read their new texts. I can’t find a specific name for the demon but, the best translation I can come up with is ‘that which takes away knowledge’. There is a picture here; it looks like a shadow almost but I can’t quite tell. The accounts eventually fade out so I assume the demon was stopped somehow but I’m not sure.”  
The group stared at Olivia, well everyone but Lainey, who was used to Olivia like this and was currently being distracted by Spike as his mouth found its way to her ear again; no one could believe how much like Giles she was, especially Giles.  
“So,” Buffy began, “where should we go from here?”  
“Well, I’m guessing that since most of the incidents seem to be happening at the college, perhaps that is a good place to start?”  
“Alright, Willow, you and Dawn go to the campus and see if you can find any kind of source for these incidents.”  
“That’s a great idea. And Giles and I will go back to my place and continue searching for anymore information on how to stop it. If it is a shadow, this could make things even more difficult but there has to be a way.”  
“Good. And Xander and I will go out on patrol.”  
“Well, if we’re not needed for this particular part of the adventure,” Spike began, standing up and helping Lainey to her feet, “Drink Slinger and I have some unfinished business to take care of back at my place.”  
He then tossed Lainey over his shoulder and carried her out the door, her waving a quick goodbye to the rest of the group. The last thing everyone heard was her squeak of surprise as Spike brought his free hand down incredibly hard on her ass.  
“Okay...so, everyone have their assignments?” Buffy asked; the group nodded and split up to do their designated tasks.


	11. Chapter 11

Giles and Olivia made a quick stop at his place to grab some books before heading back to her place. For hours, they sat there researching, but nothing seemed to indicate what might have stopped this demon before or what even released it in the first place. Eventually, Olivia put the book down, rubbing her eyes.  
“Perhaps,” Giles began, “we should call it a night. Would you like me to make you some tea?”  
“Yes, thank you. And thank you for staying with me.”  
“It’s no problem. Our group would be lost without you to do the research and reading for us; you really have been a great help, by the way. Thank you.”  
“You’re welcome. Yeah, it’s really what I do best and I can’t always use my particular set of skills at the library. Not much call for someone specializing in ancient demon texts on a college campus.”  
“Yes, I can imagine it would not be an especially intriguing topic to the college students. So, how did you get into studying the ancient texts?”  
Olivia spent the next hour explaining how she found mythology interesting growing up and how it led her into investigating ancient texts and such; when it was discovered how she had a knack for researching, the college library hired her. She then proceeded to talk about meeting Lainey when she moved there and how Lainey had gotten her involved in the area of the supernatural.  
“So, what about you?” she asked Giles, sipping on her tea, “How did you get involved with the Scooby gang?”  
Giles then told her all about his work as a watcher and meeting most of the gang when he was the librarian at the local high school; he explained about slayers and the history behind them. Before they both knew it, it was about one in the morning and they both decided it was a good idea to go to sleep. Olivia headed to her bedroom, casting one more look at Giles before she vanished; now that he was actually living with her, she liked him more than ever. The question was did he like her too?


	12. Chapter 12

In the meantime, Lainey continued to spend nearly all her time with Spike, passing her days at his place and talking with him when he came to visit her at work. One night, they were back at his place, having just finished a rather heated few hours together, and were laying naked in his bed, his arm around her shoulders, fingers playing in her hair while she ran her hand up and down his chest, both trying to catch their breath. After awhile, Spike finally broke the silence,   
“You know, I love how you enjoy the rough stuff; makes things infinitely more fun.”  
“I agree. You’re the first guy who doesn’t treat me like I’m going to break; I appreciate that.”  
“Maybe sometime we can try the whole bondage thing.”  
“You or me?”  
“Yes.”  
“I like the way you think,” she said, leaning up to kiss him; she moved her mouth over his for several minutes before finally laying her head back on his chest.   
“There is one thing I really wish we could try but I got this bloody chip in my head prevents me from doing it.”  
“What’s that?”  
“I’d really like to bite you; you’ve got such a pretty neck,” he said, pushing her hair aside and kissing the skin right below her ear.  
“Bite me?”  
“Not to kill you, pet. It just makes the end of a good shag even more enjoyable for both parties. And I just think you’re the type o’ bird who’d appreciate it. But I can’t bite a human without this pain shootin’ through my skull.”  
Lainey thought for a second, processing, before she finally spoke,  
“You know, that chip in your head is designed to stop you from hurting people, meaning it reads brain signals and such.”  
“What are you getting at?” Spike asked, sitting up on his elbows.  
“It’s just a theory...but...if you were biting someone with the intention of bringing them pleasure instead of hurting them...I bet the chip would pick up on the different signals and not go off.”  
“You think?”  
“Well, I can’t be certain but scientifically, it makes sense.”  
“Hmm...you thinking we should put your theory to the test?”  
“I think so. If you want to.”  
“But what if you’re wrong and I end up with a headache?”  
“Well then,” she replied, laying half on top of him and kissing him again, “I will just have to find a method to make it better.”  
“Alright,” he said, sitting up again, “let’s try it then.”  
He pulled Lainey into his lap, her legs circling his middle; he pushed her hair out of the way and leaned her head a bit to the left.  
“You certain about this?” he asked, looking at her with a question in his eyes.  
“Positive.”  
“Alright...well here goes nothing I guess,” he said, his face transforming into its vampire appearance.  
“Just focus on pleasing me rather than hurting,” she said.  
Spike leaned into her neck, taking it slow; the chip didn’t react, even as he got closer. Finally, he sank his fangs into the side of her neck and began drinking as she gasped his name, throwing her head back as pleasure coursed through her body; it was an experience unlike any other, and not an unpleasant one. After a moment, Spike pulled away, his face transforming back as he ran his tongue over the bite, stopping the bleeding. He looked at her, smiling at the big, goofy grin on her face,  
“You enjoy that, pet?”  
Lainey looked down at him, still grinning,  
“Wow,” was all she could say.  
“Knew you would be the one to appreciate that.”  
“Yes...and your chip didn’t go off!”  
“Not even a little. Now,” he said, suddenly flipping her over and pinning her roughly to the mattress, grinding his hips against her, his extreme excitement obvious, “how about I show you how it feels when I bite you as you finish?”  
“Do you have to be so crass?”  
“You know you love it,” he said, leaning down to kiss her passionately; and in no time at all, he had shown her exactly how this new level of biting could be used in the bedroom.


	13. Chapter 13

A few days later, the entire group decided to go out to The Bronze for the evening. However, Giles and Olivia decided to stay in for the evening; neither of them really enjoyed the club scene and a night in sounded perfect to both of them. They decided to take the night off from researching and, to thank him for watching over her, Olivia decided to make dinner for Giles. She set about preparing some stir fry, the kitchen soon filling with delicious smells. They sat down at the table, eating and sipping on some red wine.  
“I’m surprised you didn’t want to join the others tonight,” Giles said, eating another forkful of the stir fry.  
“Well,” Olivia replied, sipping her wine, “I enjoy going out to a club with Lainey every now and again but really not my preferred way of spending an evening. Plus, I don’t really get to spend much time with her when we do go out since Spike is always hanging around with her, usually attached to her lips.”  
“Yes, they are a rather unique pair, aren’t they? Are you okay with her dating him?”  
“Oh absolutely. I mean, it is weird when they get so affectionate but I am overjoyed to see her with someone who cares about her; her last boyfriend was horrible. Plus, despite having a boyfriend, Lainey is never the girl to blow off her friends.”  
“She has been a great help in this research, I will admit.”  
“What about you? You don’t like going out on a Friday night?”  
“Not particularly. I prefer to spend most of my evenings reading and enjoying a nice glass of scotch.”  
“Now that sounds wonderful,” Olivia said, smiling at him over the table.  
“Yes, I...I suppose it does,” he said, returning the smile shyly.   
The two of them continued eating and, once Olivia had cleared the table and cleaned the dishes, they settled on the couch to watch a movie, still continuing to drink their wine. After much debate, they settled on an old Marilyn Monroe movie; Olivia put it in the player and settled next to Giles on the couch. In silence, they watched the movie and continued drinking the wine. They finished the first one and put in a second, Olivia going to the kitchen to refill their glasses; they were easily on their third bottle at this point. Once the movie was playing, Olivia turned out the lights and rejoined Giles on the couch. She snuggled into his side, the wine making her more affectionate than usual; he was a bit taken back at first but, his inhibitions lowered as well, he eventually put his arm around her and they continued watching the movie. After finishing off the third bottle of wine, the two set their glasses on the floor and Olivia cuddled further into Giles’s side; the movie ended and she looked up at him,  
“You want to put in another one?” she asked, but she was distracted by the way he was looking at her and how close his face was to hers; maybe it was just the wine talking but she wanted to kiss him badly. And maybe it was just the wine, but it seemed like he wanted to kiss her too,  
“Yes, I suppose we...could...do...that,” he said, but his sentence held no meaning behind it as he leaned down, suddenly capturing her lips. His hand threaded in her hair as he brought her closer and her hands ran up his shirt and behind his neck. They kissed for several moments before Giles finally pulled back from her,  
“I’m...terribly sorry. That was not appropriate of me...and...” but Olivia didn’t let him finish the sentence as she pulled his lips back to hers; she kissed him passionately as they collapsed backwards onto the couch. They kissed until they were breathless and exhausted, finally falling asleep spooning on the couch as the DVD menu continued to repeat.


	14. Chapter 14

Over the next few days, Olivia kept looking for anymore clues to help in defeating the demon; however, she couldn’t seem to find anything and more and more cases of people not being able to read were popping up. It was incredibly frustrating really. One night, Giles and Olivia were in bed together; Giles had taken up permanent residence in her room ever since the night they kissed. It had taken much discussion but they both came to the conclusion that the kiss was not a mistake and, despite the vast age difference, they were going to try to make the relationship work; in fact, Giles had promised to take her out on an official date once the demon event was over.   
Giles and Olivia were cuddled beneath the covers, sleeping soundly; it was nearing dawn when suddenly the demon detector spell that Willow had set went off. Without thinking, Giles leapt out of bed, grabbing the sword he had leaning against the wall. Olivia watched, huddled beneath the blankets, as Giles swung his sword at the dark shadow; he didn’t think he had much hope of contact but at least it seemed to be keeping it at bay. Eventually, the shadow knocked the sword from his hand.  
“Well, it seems that it has some kind of corporeal form,” Giles commented, as he swung at the shadow with his fist. He and the demon fought around the room as Olivia hid beneath the covers, not wanting it to touch her. Giles took one more hit and made contact with the demon, sending it sailing into a wall with a howl of pain. The demon recovered and made its way out of the room; Giles ran back to the bed, taking Olivia into his arms,  
“Are you alright? It didn’t touch you, did it?”  
“No, I’m fine. Did you hit it?”  
“Yes, it appears so. Although the demon resembles a shadow, it does appear to have a solid state.”  
“Well that’s good! That might help us figure out how to defeat it.”  
“I believe you’re right. But for now, I feel we should get some sleep and I will call an emergency meeting of the Scoobies in the morning.”  
Olivia agreed and the two of them settled back under the covers; Giles kissed her soundly before spooning her as they both fell back asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

The next evening, everyone gathered at The Magic Box, trying to help Olivia research.  
“Okay, so we know he can be hurt; that’s good. Now if I could only find a way to get rid of him.”  
The whole group flipped through books, Olivia looking for information while the rest just looked for pictures that might indicate something about their demon. As the group worked, Spike and Lainey sat on the floor against the counter with her back against his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around her middle; Spike was rather upset at Lainey for making them join the group meeting tonight since he had made some actual plans for the two of them so he was paying her back by consistently teasing her with kisses on her neck and ear. Finally, Olivia thought she found something,  
“Aha! It talks here about the priests ridding themselves of the demon through the use of an enchanted box. Apparently just opening the box traps the demon inside.”  
“Great. So what does this box look like and how can we find it?” Buffy asked.  
“Well, I am searching for some pictures or something.”   
The group continued looking but were suddenly distracted as they glanced over at Spike and Lainey, noticing that Spike had morphed into his vamp face and had his fangs sunk into Lainey’s neck; her head was thrown back against his shoulder, gasping, as he drank.   
“Spike!” they all yelled at once.  
Spike’s face quickly morphed back to normal as he jumped and looked at the group of people glaring at him.  
“What?!” he asked incredulously.  
“Why are you sucking the blood out of your girlfriend’s neck?!” Xander asked, ready to stake him.  
“And why is your chip thing not going off?” Buffy added.  
“Because my chip only goes off when I try to hurt people; I’m not hurting her. She likes it. It’s bloody foreplay for us.”  
Lainey, finally recovering, slowly raised her head,  
“He’s right; I told him it was okay. But don’t do that in public anymore,” she said, smacking him on the chest before giving him a quick kiss on the lips. The group looked at them dubiously before shrugging and continuing on with their work. Before long, Olivia let out an exclamation of joy as she found a picture of the box.  
“So how do we find this mystical box?” Xander asked.  
“It doesn’t really say.”  
“I could try a locator spell on it,” Willow interjected; everyone agreed and soon the spell had located the box.  
“It appears to be on campus,” Buffy said.  
“Buffy, you, Willow, and Xander go see if you can get the box and get the demon inside. Olivia and I will stay here to see if we find anything else on the box. Please keep us posted.”  
“Will do,” Buffy said as the gang headed out.  
“Do you really need us anymore?” Spike said, already standing and throwing Lainey over his shoulder.  
“No, no,” Giles said, shaking his head, “take your girlfriend and do whatever depraved thing you were planning to do to her earlier.”  
“Right then,” Spike said, heading out the door, taking Lainey with him, leaving Giles and Olivia to keep searching for anything more, although they were often distracted by rounds of making out.   
An hour or so later, the box had been located and the demon locked inside; turns out a failing student had released the demon in hopes that they wouldn’t kick him out of school if everyone was failing. The gang brought the cube back to the shop where Willow put a locking spell on it and stored it in the basement.  
“That was surprisingly easy,” Xander said, sitting down in a chair, “and by easy I mean no one got seriously injured.”  
“Yes, definitely one of our easier cases,” Buffy agreed, “Although, the reading thing is irritating. When will that wear off?”  
“According to this text, the effects of the demon should wear off less than a day after capture,” Olivia stated; the group sighed in relief. After taking a moment to gather themselves, Xander, Willow, and Buffy decided to head out to get some much needed rest, leaving Olivia and GIles in the shop.  
“You know,” Olivia began, “you don’t technically have to watch over me anymore but I still hope you’re coming over tonight.”  
“Of course I am dear,” he replied, kissing her on the forehead, “and now, since this demon issue has been resolved, I fully intend on taking you out to dinner tomorrow night. It can be our first actual date.”  
“I like the sound of that,” Olivia said, leaning in and giving him a sound kiss; the two of them then locked up the shop and headed home.


	16. Chapter 16

The next night, Giles and Olivia headed out to dinner; he had chosen a nice Greek restaurant, feeling she would enjoy the exoticness of it. For hours, they sat eating and chatting, sipping on drinks and just enjoying the company of the other. It was nice to be out as a couple and not have to worry about the demon issue anymore.   
After dinner, they headed back to Olivia’s place, deciding to end their night with a movie. They changed into pajamas and snuggled on the sofa, turning out the lights and pressing play on the movie. However, not much of the movie got watched as Olivia quickly distracted him by turning his head and capturing his lips. They kissed eagerly and he pushed her back on the couch, one hand slipping under her shirt as hers tangled in his hair while their tongues tangled together. After a moment, Giles pulled away,  
“I hope I’m not moving too fast. It’s just...well...I really like you and have honestly imagined doing this for quite some time.”  
“You’re not moving too fast at all,” Olivia responded, “in fact, you want to take this into the bedroom?”  
He nodded before scooping her up in his arms, carrying her off into the bedroom as he continued to kiss her. Once they got there, he set her down, his hands reaching lower to remove her shirt over her head. She then proceeded to remove his t-shirt as well, their hands exploring the exposed skin. Giles pushed her back on the bed, his fingers playing over the spot on her spine he knew drove her crazy as his tongue explored her mouth. Within moments, they had removed the remaining garments separating them from their first true night together.


	17. Chapter 17

A few nights later, Lainey showed up at Spike’s place after an exhausting night at work; she had been yelled at numerous times by customers and even had to break up a fight or two amongst some demons; to top it off, Spike hadn’t shown up like he usually did. She entered the front door, not bothering to knock; it was really their place now anyway considering she hadn’t been back to her own apartment since she and Spike got together. Spike was sitting in his chair, watching TV; she brushed past him and headed downstairs, needing to just be alone.  
“Love?” he said, turning off the television and standing up, “Where are you going?”  
He climbed down the ladder to find his girlfriend curled up on the bed, her back turned to him. With a puzzled look on his face, he went over to the bed and laid down next to Lainey, wrapping his arms around her as he began to kiss her neck,  
“Something the matter, pet?”  
“Just had a really rough night at work.”  
“Well,” he said, reaching his hand down and running his fingers along her thigh and beneath her skirt, “I bet I know a few things that could take your mind off it.”  
Lainey pushed his hand away and sat up, facing him,  
“Is that all you ever think about? Shagging me?”  
Spike sat up too, looking at Lainey, surprised at her sudden outburst of anger,   
“What’s got your knickers all in a twist?”  
“Nothing! It’s just...I feel like you’re only with me for the sex...like everything else we do is just something to pass the time in between shags. And, if that’s all you see me as, then find someone else because I’m not the girl for that.”  
Tears had started falling down Lainey’s face as she made her little speech; she instantly regretted what she was saying, seeing the hurt look in Spike’s eyes. He reached over and placed his hand on the side of her face, brushing away some tears with his thumb,  
“You really think that’s all I want? Well then you got it all wrong, love. A great shag I can get anywhere; that’s not the point. The truth is, I love the bloody hell out of you.”  
Lainey looked at him in surprise, the tears suddenly stopping,  
“You do?”  
“I really do. Way more than I ever loved Buffy.”  
“I love you too Spike.”  
Lainey leaned in to kiss him, pushing him to the bed as she rolled on top of him. His fingers reached up to grab her hair as his tongue pushed its way into her mouth, causing her to moan as she slowly lifted his shirt over his head. Her mouth left his to kiss a line across his jaw to his ear; she took his earlobe between her teeth, scratching her nails roughly down his chest as she did so. Gasping, he said,  
“Oh...is that how it works?...you’re ready so we shag now?...well....maybe...I changed my mind...”  
Lainey pushed herself up to smile wickedly at him, her hand running down his chest and across the front of his jeans where his excitement was obvious.  
“Oh, I don’t think you did,” she smirked at him.  
He groaned as her hand teased him through the fabric for a moment before she undid the zipper and slid the pants over his hips; she threw them aside before straddling him, the leather of her skirt sliding over his bare skin. She leaned down and kissed him passionately, her tongue dipping into his mouth again as he removed her shirt over her head, her bra quickly following. She sat up and gazed down at him as his hands moved to her chest, stroking his fingers over her skin. Suddenly, he flipped them over again, his face morphing as he sunk his fangs into her. Breathing heavily, she threw her head back into the pillow, gasping his name as he continued drinking from her while his one hand traversed beneath her skirt again, teasing her through the fabric of her knickers. After a moment, he unmorphed his face and licked the bite closed; his hand still continued to tease her as she squirmed underneath him,  
“Now, pet,” he purred against her neck, his fingers moving the fabric of her knickers aside, “since we know we love each other, I’m hoping you trust me enough to try out a little surprise I got for us tonight.”   
He suddenly got off her and crossed the room, grabbing something from the dresser. As he came back to the bed, she saw the pair of silver handcuffs dangling from his finger. She nodded her silent agreement as he laid down on top of her again, grabbing her wrists and handcuffing them around the headboard. Kissing her again, he ground his hips against her before moving his mouth down her body. He removed her skirt and knickers in one movement, smiling wickedly at her before kissing her again,  
“We are certainly going to have some fun tonight, love,” he growled against her lips.   
“We are indeed...and...if you’re good...I might just use these handcuffs on you later.”  
He groaned at the thought of that before capturing her lips once again, beginning a night that would come to involve many different utilizations of the handcuffs.


	18. Chapter 18

A couple weeks later, life was continuing as usual in Sunnydale; the Scooby team continued hunting down demons and both couples were happily dating. The gang had reacted rather well to the idea of Giles and Olivia together, although Xander had to take a moment to recover from the realization that he had fooled around with a girl that was ultimately a female Giles. Even Spike and Buffy had made up, with her giving him a blessing on his relationship with Lainey; she really was glad to see him so happy.  
One night, Spike and Lainey were walking back from the bar, hand in hand, when they spotted someone.  
“Oh god,” Lainey moaned, “so not who I want to see right now.”  
“Who is it?”  
“My ex,”  
“You mean the one that treated you like dirt?”  
“One in the same.”  
“Well,” Spike said, his face suddenly morphing, “I’d like to have a few words with him.”  
Spike started towards the blonde-haired preppy but Lainey grabbed his arm,  
“Wait! Won’t that set your chip off?”  
“Not if I think about how much it will be pleasing you.”  
Lainey smiled at him, touched by his protectiveness of her; she kissed him soundly and nodded at him. Spike took off, taking down her ex within seconds; Lainey knew he was a goner the moment she saw him hit the pavement.


End file.
